Rising MAGA influencer Brilyn Hollyhand embarrassed himself by touting the incredible Gen Z turnout at his Alabama speaking event while proving the crowd was mostly comprised of boomers.
Hollyhand, who some conservatives have seen as the protegé of the late Charlie Kirk, spoke at the University of Alabama Friday night. On his social media accounts, the 19-year-old activist wrote, “Standing room only at the University of Alabama last night is more proof that this isn’t a fad or trend: Gen Z is off the sidelines and in the fight and our movement is stronger than ever!
“Gen Z’s time isn’t in the future. It’s today!”
Standing room only at the University of Alabama last night is more proof that this isn’t a fad or trend: Gen Z is off the sidelines and in the fight and our movement is stronger than ever!Gen Z’s time isn’t in the future. It’s today! pic.twitter.com/wPDKXyLNoB
— Brilyn Hollyhand (@BrilynHollyhand) October 11, 2025
However, the photograph Hollyhand posted of the speaking event hardly looks like the youthful jubilee he described. Instead, the crowd looks largely comprised of senior citizens.
Directly behind Hollyhand stands a modest crowd of people who appear to be over 60 years old. There are some youthful faces sitting in the front row behind him and contingents of young people on the left and right sides of the picture.
The juxtaposition of Hollyhand’s words and the photograph caused his post to be widely mocked on social media.
“My brother in Christ, more than half your audience is on Social Security,” wrote X user @michah_erfan.
“Brother the average age in that room is past retirement,” wrote X user Santiago Meyer.
Multiple users simply took screen shots of the senior citizens in the crowd and sarcastically quoted, “Gen Z.”
Gen Z https://t.co/oTjsRuJXED pic.twitter.com/sst7SNvyoa
— Brandy Jensen (@BrandyLJensen) October 11, 2025
The Daily Beast has reached out to Hollyhand for comment.
The photo is proving to be yet another PR gaffe for the conservative teen influencer, who has continued to make headlines for optics mishaps.
On Sept. 25, he posted a video of himself traveling to a speaking event on a swanky private jet while wearing a $1,000 watch, which critics viewed as vastly out-of-touch.
On Oct. 2, The Daily Mail reported that a sting discovered Hollyhand has a speaking fee of over $7,500 plus airfare tickets for two.
Though Hollyhand, the son of a wealthy family who made their fortune with an affordable housing company in Alabama, first got recognition for interviewing Charlie Kirk when he was 11 years old, Turning Point USA and other conservative influencers have disavowed him.
When Hollyhand was catching flak for his gaudy private plane video, Tyler Bowers, Turning Point’s head of U.S. operations, said Hollyhand was not employed by the organization and called his video “distasteful.”
Conservative influencer Nick Sortor, who recently drew headlines for getting arrested after fighting protestors in Portland, Oregon, described Hollyhand as a “grifter.”
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